


When You're Alone

by Kliegology



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Diego Hargreeves is Bad at Feelings, Diego Is Oblivious, Flirting, Fluff, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Has a Crush, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, One Shot, With Episode 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 16:56:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18525724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kliegology/pseuds/Kliegology
Summary: Klaus has a habit of turning up when Diego’s alone. Diego has a habit of not caring.In the hours before Reginald's funeral, Klaus and Diego meet again for the first time in years. Seems like not much has changed...





	When You're Alone

It had been the same when they were growing up. If Diego had retreated to his bedroom for some time alone, it had always been just a matter of seconds before an insistent knocking on the door. That was if he was lucky. More often than not, the door would simply fly open, and Klaus would fling himself brazenly into the room. He would grin that Cheshire-cat grin, and flop down next to Diego on the small, hard bed.

They were now both the wrong side of thirty and, it would seem, nothing had changed. Diego groaned, throwing a leather-clad arm over his eyes, as the door to his childhood bedroom swung open. He hadn’t seen his brother in years, but immediately he recognised the sound of those soft, padding footsteps and the fragrant waft of smoke mingled with perfume.

“You think it’s a good idea to enter an armed guy’s room without knocking?” Diego asked lazily, disguising his involuntary smile by pretending to yawn behind the sleeve of his leather jacket.

“What can I say?” Klaus replied. His voice was deeper, more gravelly than Diego remembered. The carefree tone undermined by the slightly drunken slurring of his words, “I like living dangerously.”

He threw himself on the narrow bed beside his brother, causing Diego to hastily open his eyes and shuffle away, towards the wall.

“Besides,” Klaus followed his movement, eyes gleeful as he immediately closed the gap between them. “Seems like you’re more scared of me then am I of you.”

“Oi,” Diego bristled, reaching out a hand to cuff his brother around the head. “Let’s not pretend we don’t know who’s in charge here.”

He made stern eye contact. His brother’s green eyes were unnaturally bright; the light within them appeared to dance playfully.

Klaus giggled. On his breath, a faint hint of whiskey. He pressed his face into Diego’s shoulder and sighed contentedly. “Ready for the funeral?” he asked.

“Been looking forward to it for thirty years,” Diego joked half-heartedly. Dad’s death had come as more of a shock than he was prepared to admit. He wasn’t able to summon the hatred that he wished he felt for the old man. Closing his eyes, he pushed thoughts of his father from his mind. At his side he could hear the soft sound of Klaus’s breath, feel the faint whisper of hair against the skin of his throat. He frowned to himself and absentmindedly pulled a knife from his waistband to watch the way the metal glinted in the dusty sunlight of the room.

“Jesus,” Klaus, jumped away from him, a startled laugh bubbling from his full lips. “I don’t mind a bit of rough and tumble, Diego. But knives in the bedroom are taking things a little too far.”

Diego rolled his eyes. He’d had enough. Sitting up abruptly, he gave Klaus a sharp push, tumbling him off the bed. The man’s green eyes went round with astonishment as he bumped on to the floor and Diego grinned wickedly.

“There’s your rough and tumble,” he said, “now get out of my room, ghost boy.”

Klaus pouted as he stood, straightening the fabric of his… wait. Diego’s eyes inadvertently dropped, taking in a lengthy expanse of pale legs.

“Is that a skirt?”

“Like the look?” Klaus asked, beaming at the renewed attention. He did a little twirl, then ran his hands teasingly down the black leather that swathed his lower half.

Diego pointed his knife towards the door. “Out,” he repeated, biting his lip to prevent an unwanted smile.

“Fine, Grumpy,” Klaus sighed, sashaying towards the door. He paused in the doorframe to gaze at Diego with wide, kohl-rimmed eyes. “We’ll continue our cuddle session later.”

Diego lifted his head, fixing his brother with a deep scowl. “I don’t cuddle.”

“Oh?” Klaus smiled indulgently at him, making his stomach flip with irritation. “Don’t worry. It can be our little secret.”

Giving Diego an exaggerated wink, he exited the room in a flamboyant kind of a half-bow, pulling the door closed behind him.

Diego threw his head back against the pillow, before groaning and pulling it over his head. He was back in his hated childhood home, about to attend their adoptive father’s funeral. Yet somehow his heart felt lighter than it had in years. He hid his smile against the soft fabric of his pillow. Beneath the smell of laundry detergent, it now smelled faintly of Klaus.

**Author's Note:**

> My first fanfiction in... FIVE YEARS. Is this what The Umbrella Academy does to people? I will submit willingly. -_- 
> 
> I'm gearing up for Kliego Week (see Tumblr). I guess this is kind of a practice run!


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